Minerva's Mistake
by miss mcGonagle
Summary: Minerva finally reveals her feelings for Albus with some distasterous results!
1. Chapter 1

Lookie, lookie! miss mcGonagle made good on her promise and _actually wrote a AD/MM fic_! Although in my defense, I did include that ship in my oneshot, Pictures for Harry, so there. Anyways, this is the first of three chapters plus an epilogue. Please, please, please leave me a review. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, it all belongs to JKR.

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Minerva McGonagall glared at her reflection in her bedroom's full-length mirror. Today was an important day, a vital turning point in her life, and she didn't want to lookthe same way she always did. Minerva had been struggling with herself for the past thirty years, should she tell Albus Dumbledore, her former teacher, best friend, and employer, that she was in love with him? The answer was finally, yes. At last the time had come to tell him and it was taking all of Minerva's courage and resolve to follow through with her decision.

Now, as she stood before her mirror, that resolve was beginning to ebb away. She knew she couldn't change the style of her robes; it was the end of May and she had a Quidditch match to attend, so she settled for a change in hairstyle. She couldn't leave it down, that would be far too drastic; instead she tied it in a loose knot at her neck. This subtle break from the norm softened her features causing her to look a few years younger.

Minerva left her glasses on the dresser; she only used them for reading and unless a mortified Albus asked her to sign a letter of resignation, she didn't think the morning's schedule would require the use of her spectacles.

Without allowing herself any more time to back out, Minerva left her chambers and walked swiftly to the Headmaster's office. It was early, six in the morning to be exact, but Albus was notorious for being an early riser and Minerva wanted to make her confession as soon as possible before she lost her nerve.

Her throat constricted as she approached the stone gargoyles and she had to clear her throat twice before she could manage to say "sugared plums."

She rode up the revolving staircase and entered the office in silence; the portraits of the former Headmasters and Headmistresses were still sleeping. Minerva passed through the office and into Albus' private chambers. Immediately she was assaulted by the smell of goats. That was when she remembered, Albus had gone to visit his brother Aberforth the night before. Judging by the stench and the sight of _two_ cloaks laying across the back of an armchair, Albus had brought his brother back with him. He did this on occasion when he felt that Aberforth was too drunk to be left on his own. A loud snore drew Minerva's attention to the couch and she saw a blue blanket draped over the sleeping figure, large amounts of white hair poking out over the top.

_Just great_, she thought. _I'll be professing my love to Albus with the sound of his brother's snores to serenade us. Really romantic._

But she pressed on, pausing only briefly as she pushed open the bedroom door. She was incredibly nervous, but when she saw Albus snuggled up in his covers, face buried into his pillow, beard and hair everywhere, her heart melted and she found the courage to sit down on the edge of his bed. Gently, she took one of his hands in her own.

"Albus?" she said softly. "Albus wake up, I need to speak with you."

"Mmffftt," came the mumbled reply.

"_Albus_," she said quietly but with a commanding tone.

"Minerva, is that you?" Albus' voice was muffled by the pillow.

He didn't seem completely awake, but that was just as well; if Minerva had to face those piercing blue eyes while she revealed her feelings, she wasn't sure she would be able to speak.

"Albus, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a very long time; I love you. I came to understand my feelings for you shortly after I started teaching here, but I was afraid to say anything that might damage our friendship.' There was no response, but the hand held by Minerva tensed. 'I'll understand if you don't return my feelings, but I thought that it was time I told you how I felt."

With that she bent down and tried to press her lips to his cheek, but as she bent down he turned his head and her lips met his instead. This startled her and she started to pull away, but two arms snaked around her waist and pulled her onto the bed beside him. The kiss deepened and Minerva found herself slightly disappointed; the kiss wasn't quite as wonderful as she had expected her first kiss with Albus would be. He seemed rather aggressive as he explored her mouth and Minerva was fairly certain she could taste firewhiskey on his tongue, but then he _had_ been visiting his brother who _was_ a bartender.

Still, _she was kissing Albus Dumbledore_. Minerva decided he would need a few lessons in kissing, but not today; the mixture of alcohol and morning breath was starting to make her feel nauseous.

Just then she heard a constricted voice from the direction of the doorway. "Aberforth? _Minerva?_"

Minerva broke out of the embrace and whirled around. Standing in the doorway in a set of blue pajamas decorated with shooting stars and wearing orange and green striped toe socks stood Albus Dumbledore, whose face was blank with surprise.

"Albus," stated Minerva dumbly. Her mind then flew back into motion. If Albus was standing before her, then the man she had been kissing was…

"Aberforth, how could you! In my own bed…" Albus trailed off. Minerva could see the pain in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Well Albus, she just kind of…"

"Albus, I assure you this is not what it appears to be," aid Minerva earnestly, her shock wearing off only to be replaced by embarrassment; she could feel the heat rising in her face.

"Please excuse me," said Albus in a strangled voice before turning and leaving the room.

Minerva closed her eyes and tried to tell herself that it was all a dream, that she would wake up and find her relationship with Albus in one piece, platonic perhaps, but intact.

But when she opened her eyes she was still sitting on Albus' bed and the man in it was still _not_ Albus.

"It was awful sweet of you to wake me up like that," said Aberforth jokingly as he climbed out of the bed. "Here I was thinking I'd wake up with only hangover to keep me company."

"Oh shut up, Aberforth," said Minerva wearily.

He shrugged and walked out, leaving Minerva alone with her mortification.

She tried to come up with a plan of action, but only two came to mind. The first involved leaping off the Astronomy Tower, but suicide was a sin without the chance for repentance and was therefore unforgivable. The other plan was to kill Aberforth, but Divine Forgiveness was only granted to those who were repentant for their actions and in her current state of mind, Minerva was quite certain that murdering Aberforth would be something she was unlikely to be sorry for, ever.

So the only options available to her (that didn't endanger her mortal soul) were to pretend nothing had ever happened or to find Albus and try to explain. As it would be quite difficult to avoid the subject, especially since she saw Albus every day, her only true option was to confront Albus and to explain what he _thought_ he had seen.

"I wait thirty years to tell that man the truth and I end up kissing a man who lives with goats," said Minerva aloud, her misery surpassed only by her embarrassment.


	2. Chapter 2

Whoa, that was quite some response! The second chapter is here and the final chapter should be up tomorrow. If you think Snape is a little too nice to Minerva in this chapter its because in my Potterverse his relationship with Min is the same as in my fic The Ancient and Dwindling. 

**Emutet:** I hope you enjoy this chapter, sadly, things have yet to be fixed between them.

**Mellypoo622: **Thanks!

**Natsuyori: **I'm honored to have provided you with your first AD/MM fic!

**TartanLioness:** I've posted this on the A&M site too.

**Mollisk:** My most faithful reviewer, thank you.

**Fluffy 928: **Thank you!

**Twiggi Lala: **Yes, poor Aberforth. Are you registered at the Albus and Minerva ff site too? I'm there under the alias, childminerva.

**Warozaka: **I'm so pleased you registered here just to review my fic! Everyone, meet warozaka, she's a fan of my fic The Ancient and Dwindling House of Snape on She's been keeping me focused so I'll write Chapter 10. I don't hate Aberforth either, yes he was being a naughty boy, but who can blame him? (Besides his brother, of course.)

**Always Hopeful:** Yes, it is embarassing, I was cringing as I dreamt up the plot.

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Three hours later, Minerva took her seat in the Teacher's Box at the Quidditch Pitch. Minerva had always been an avid Quidditch fan. Her family had annual tickets to the World Cup and she had played Chaser on the Gryffindor team for six years as a student. She knew every rule of the game and in almost fifty years of teaching had missed only a single match.

Today, the Gryffindor Lions were facing the Ravenclaw Eagles in the Quidditch Final. Gryffindor had claimed the Cup in the last two Finals, but Ravenclaw's captain, Cho Chang, had put together an excellent team. Ever since the Ravenclaw victory two weeks ago that had brought them into the Championship, Minerva and Ravenclaw's Head of House, Filius Flitwick, had been looking forward to this game, discussing the odds of each team winning and even placing bets.

But at the moment, Minerva was in no mood for Quidditch; Albus had just entered the box and sat down, not in his customary seat beside her, but beside Professor Vector, five rows away.

Hufflepuff Fifth year, Melissa Crow had replaced Lee Jordan at the microphone as commentator and was announcing the players as they walked onto the field below. Now that Lee Jordan had graduated, Minerva no longer had to monitor what was said, but she often found that she missed Lee's humorous, barbed and occasionally inappropriate, commentary.

Minerva tried to focus on the game, hoping it would take her mind off what had happened earlier, but it was a hopeless endeavor. Ravenclaw had taken an early lead, which caused the tiny Flitwick to stand up in his seat and cheer excitedly. But when Gryffindor scored four goals in quick succession, Lyle McLaggen, the Auror turned Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and former Gryffindor, turned to Flitwick and poked him playfully in the back.

"Take that, you old goat!" he shouted teasingly, his handsome features glowing as he laughed.

Minerva winced at McLaggen's unfortunate choice of words. She looked back at Albus to see if he had noticed. He was gazing resolutely at the players in the air, but there was a tightness in his jaw that had not been there earlier. She sighed; it must have seemed pretty awful from his perspective too, his Deputy snogging his brother in his own bed. Just thinking about what had happened caused her cheeks to burn.

Apparently it was an exciting game. The crowd was screaming itself hoarse and several teachers around her were on their feet, clapping and cheering along with their students, not that teachers are supposed to take sides or anything.

Minerva remained seated, thoroughly miserable. If Albus didn't believe that she wasn't involved with his brother then their friendship would be forever damaged.

A cheer went up from the Gryffindor supporters; Minerva didn't even look up. On her left, Severus Snape leaned over to hiss in her ear.

"This is probably the best played game of Quidditch Hogwarts has seen in ages, and you're not even watching it!"

She glared at him and turned back to the game just in time to see Seekers Harry Potter and Cho Chang shoot towards each other from opposite ends of the Pitch. The crowd held its breath as the two raced to grab the Snitch; Cho was closer, but just as her hand was stretching towards it, Harry lurched forward on his broom and snatched it away. The crowd was beside itself; the score was now 260:170 and Gryffindor had claimed the Cup for the third year in a row.

Minerva breathed a sigh of relief; at least one thing had gone right today. She found her hand being shaken by a beaming Professor Flitwick.

"Congratulations, Minerva!" he squeaked happily, showing absolutely no disappointment that his House had lost. "It was a marvelous game!"

"Thank you, Filius."

"Here are your winnings," he said, holding out a bag of Galleons.

"What? Oh, I don't want the money."

"Nonsense, Minerva. Its only fifteen Galleons."

"I said I don't want it!" snapped Minerva, causing Flitwick's cheery smile to vanish.

"Minerva, are you-"

"I'm sorry, Filius," she said sadly. "It was a good game; Ravenclaw played very well. Please, just keep the money."

She left the Teacher's Box quickly and headed toward the center of the field where Albus was presenting the Gryffindor team with the Quidditch Cup. She was somewhat hampered by the students swarming onto the field, many of them shouting their congratulations on her House's victory. When she finally reached Albus he was walking back up to the castle with the other teachers.

"Albus, could I have a word?" she asked in a low voice as she walked up beside him and placed a hand on his arm.

He stopped walking and turned face her, stiffly removing her hand.

"I think not, Minerva," he said in a cool voice, his eyes staring down at her in contempt, "A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words and the picture that I saw painted of you this morning spoke quite clearly. Frankly, I've heard enough."

He set off toward the castle once more. Minerva felt as if she'd been slapped. The teachers standing nearby had followed their conversation closely and were now talking amongst themselves, shooting furtive looks in Minerva's direction.

"Trouble in paradise?" asked a low voice at her shoulder. Severus Snape was looking at her with thinly veiled concern.

She glared at him a moment before backing down.

"To be quite honest, I feel as if I've had the Forbidden Fruit shoved down my throat," she muttered; still conscious of the stares she was receiving.

"Well, whatever it is you've done, make up for it," said Severus quietly, "because, _frankly_, this tension between the two of you is scaring the hell out of the staff."

He began to leave, then paused.

"By the way, it really _was _a great game."

Minerva sighed bitterly. "So I've heard."


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here it is, the final chapter. Enjoy it. Then leave a review. No seriously, I hope you like it. I will be writng a brief epilogue in the near future so you will know Aberforth's fate, also so I can thank everyone who leaves a comment for this chapter. I have written a AD/MM oneshot that needs a little tweaking, but I hope to post it in a few weeks when I return home from my travels. 

**Natsuyori: **bows to the audience Thank you, I try.

**TartanLioness: **Yes, poor Min, poor Albus...

**Warozaka: **My apologies again for the gender mistake, everyone, warozaka is a **guy.** It _would_ be kind of funny is Severus were to intercede on Minerva's behalf, yet somehow I think he know better than to step into such dangerous waters.

**kidarock: **I'm glad you like this story. I still cringe when I reread it!

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Albus was not present at lunch, which was fortunate; Minerva was having enough trouble biting back her tears as most of the staff continued to whisper to one another, all of them avoiding her gaze. Snape and Flitwick were the only two who seemed to be above the gossip, but both of them were seated too far away for her to speak with them.

Lunch being a lonely affair, Minerva ate quickly and left the Great Hall. Still not sure how to approach Albus, she took a detour to the Gryffindor common room to buy herself some time. The raucous party going on inside the common room could be heard in the hallway outside.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said the Fat Lady. Minerva noticed she was holding a Gryffindor flag.

Minerva gave the password, ("ticklish newts"), and climbed through the portrait hole. She emerged just in time to see Seamus Finnigan finish a break dance routine surrounded by a crowd of cheering Gryffindors, most of them girls. Minerva paused a moment, slightly amused, then spotted Harry Potter and Ron Weasley standing next to a table piled high with snacks and made her way over to them.

"Congratulations, you two," she said, "I'm very proud of both of you.'

"Thanks, Professor," said Harry. Ron's ears went red.

Minerva spent a few more minutes congratulating the other members of the Quidditch team and was hugged more than once by several of the overly hyper students. She was on her way out through the portrait hole when she overheard Ginny Weasley talking to Hermione Granger.

"…wonder what was up with Dumbledore, I mean, he wasn't even smiling when he handed us the Cup."

Minerva felt like crying. This day was definitely not going as planned. First she had committed the huge a horrifying blunder of mistaking Aberforth for his brother, kissing him, and having Albus walk in and witness the whole thing. Now Albus was mad at her, the staff was only halfheartedly concealing their gossip, and even the students were aware that something was not quite right.

Trying desperately not to give in to the tears threatening to engulf her, Minerva hurried toward the Headmaster's office for the second time that day.

"Sugared plums!"

Nothing happened.

"Sugared _plum_?"

Still nothing.

"Lemon drops? Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans? Pepper Imps?" Minerva named every sweet, wizard and muggle, that she could think of. "Cadbury? Ginger Newts? Pumpkin Pasties? Oh for heaven sakes, open up!"

The tears that had been pricking at the corners of her eyes vanished as the renowned temper of Minerva McGonagall flared to life.

"Open the bloody door, you miserable old man!"

To her great surprise and inner distress, the gargoyles leapt aside and permitted her entrance.

Climbing the stairs as quickly as she could, Minerva arrived at the top and reached for the doorknob while trying to catch her breath. The door was locked.

_This is just getting silly_, thought Minerva as she reached for her wand.

"Alohamora."

The door remained locked.

"Damn it, Albus, let me in!" Minerva's voice became louder and more commanding with every word. "Albus Percivial Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Open. This. Door. Immediately."

_Click_.

Minerva stormed in the moment she heard the door unlock. Albus was sitting behind his desk; the pained look in his eyes was quickly replaced by anger as she drew closer to the desk.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Haven't you caused enough trouble within these walls? Must you return to rub it in my face?"

"Don't be stupid, Albus," snapped Minerva, her impatience with the man increasing by the minute, why was he making things so difficult?

"Oh, I have been," said Albus, rising to his feet and walking around the desk so that they were merely inches apart. "But not any more. For now I see you for what you really are. If you want my brother, have him, but stay away from me, you've played with my heart long enough! Get out! Out of my office and out of my life."

The blue eyes that Minerva had found herself lost in so many times before were now ablaze with anger. Minerva was about to respond with a furious reply when the full meaning of his words hit her.

He loved her. He loved her and thought she had known this all along. Suddenly, everything that had happened that day came crushing down on her; the kiss, her embarrassment, his simultaneous declaration of love and betrayal, everything.

Minerva then did the only thing she could do short of internal combustion; she laughed. Once she started, she found it quite difficult to stop. She was laughing so hard that tears leaked from her eyes and she collapsed into the armchair in front of his desk.

She loved him, had for years, and had assumed that today he was just disgusted by her behavior. He loved her, apparently had for quite some time, and thought that she knew this and that she had a thing for his brother. The thought of being in love with Aberforth Dumbledore was so ridiculous that she laughed even harder.

Looking up at Albus standing above her, she thought he looked rather dignified. But the heartbroken pain etched into his features sent needles into her heart and ended her laughter at once. A solitary tear was winding its way down Albus' long, crooked nose. With an aching heart, Minerva rose to her feet.

"I have loved you for thirty years and I will continue to do so for the rest of eternity," said Minerva softly, several tears running down her cheeks as well. "Believe me when I say that I would rather die a thousand deaths than to deliberately cause you pain."

"Then how, in the name of Merlin, can you explain what happened this morning?" He asked her, his voice so soft that it was barely audible.

Minerva closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, knowing how stupid this was going to sound.

"I thought it was you," she muttered.

"What?"

"I thought," she stopped and glared at him as her temper rose again, fueled by her embarrassment. "I came up here this morning to tell you that I love you and that goat brained brother of yours buried his face in the pillow and played along! I gave him a little kiss and then he pulled me up onto the bed."

Albus was staring at her in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Minerva, I-"

"Don't 'Minerva' me!" she snapped, all the mortification she had experienced that day swarming back to her. "Do you have any idea what I've gone through all day? The embarrassment I've felt? Being cut down by you in front of the entire staff? I couldn't even enjoy the Quidditch match because every time I looked at you I could see the pain and anger in your face!"

Albus stepped forward abruptly and pulled her into his arms. Minerva cried out her frustration into his shoulder while he spoke in a voice filled with relief.

"When I saw you and Aberforth together this morning I thought…oh, Min, I'm so sorry. All these years I hoped you felt the same way and yet I was so afraid you didn't so when I saw you today…"

Minerva was shaking, but not with sobs; she was laughing again.

"Oh, Albus. You're an old fool, you know that?"

For the first time all day, he gave a genuine smile. The twinkle that appeared in his eyes caused Minerva heart to soar; she had missed that twinkle.

"So I've been told," he replied. Still smiling, he lowered his lips, gently brushing them against hers.

"I love you," she whispered, her warm breath tickling his lips.

"And I you," he answered, lips still grazing hers, causing her to shiver.

Minerva wrapped her arms around his neck, more than aware of the places where their bodies touched. Albus ran his hands down her back and pulled her even closer. Minerva smelled the mint scented shampoo he used on his hair and beard. She pressed her lips more firmly to his. Soon, the kiss deepened; Minerva thought she could taste chocolate on his tongue as it passed over hers. She found herself clinging tighter to him; the kiss was starting to make her feel weak.

The last coherent thought that Minerva was able to manage for quite some time was that _this_ Dumbledore knew how to kiss. She considered mentioning this to Albus, but as soon as the thought had appeared it was driven from her mind by the sheer bliss of being kissed by Albus Dumbledore, the man she loved.


	4. Epilogue

All right, here it is! The Epilogue is finally here and I have two more AD/MM oneshots coming soon. 

**To everyone who left comments, thank you. Only those of you who write fanfiction (or any type of writing really) knows how important a responsive audience is to a writer.**

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It had been less than a week since Minerva and Albus had finally shared their first kiss and Minerva was beginning to feel like a naughty schoolgirl again, stealing kisses between classes and sneaking out after dark to meet Albus when the students were asleep.

They were walking the grounds one evening when Minerva noticed a new pen outside Rubeus Hagrid's hut.

"When did Hagrid get a goat?" asked Minerva staring down at the animal that gazed back at her sullenly from the pen.

"Oh, last Saturday I believe," said Albus vaguely.

"Albus!" said Minerva sharply, spinning around to face him as she realized what Albus was saying.

The goat butted his head against the fence angrily as Albus peered over the edge of the pen.

"I thought he might enjoy a little time in this form," said Albus as Minerva continued to glare at him. "Well, it made me feel better at least."

Minerva's mouth twitched. "You _will_ need to turn him back you know," she said, but not too sternly.

"Oh, I will," said Albus, his eyes twinkling again. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "But not just yet."

Minerva barely had time to whisper, "no, not just yet," before he captured her lips in a kiss.

For a long while, neither was aware of the angry head butting from the furious Aberforth.

Eventually the two brothers forgot their quarrel and often laughed about the incident. Albus even permitted Aberforth to stay overnight to sleep off his frequent hangovers. But on those occasions, Aberforth slept on the couch; Albus's bed being _quite_ full.

The End


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